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F/A-71 Wildcat II
The '''Atlas F/A-71 ''Wildcat II' is a sixth-generation fighter jet of the United States Military. It is the primary aerospace fighter for the U.S. Navy and the American equivalent of the [[P-99 Spitfire II|P-99 ''Spitfire II]]. Development Originally headed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division, the X-35D Program worked to create an aerospace variant of the F-35 Lightning II under the designation F-35D. Design trials began in September of 2014 with assistance from Northrop Grumman to test possible designs for the fighter. Ultimately, the two couldn't make the fighter they wanted, and asked other companies for assistance. The Atlas Corporation was reluctant to pick up the X-35D, and development of the refurbished YF-71 Program began in December. Atlas' Dragon Works division worked with Skunk Works engineers who designed the X-35D to completely redesign the fighter. In the end, the fighter still had the design similarities as the F-35, and was set to begin combat simulations to test it's capabilities. The fighter was unveiled on April 8, 2015 as the F/A-71A Wildcat II ''and was declared IOC by the Navy and Marine Corps. soon after, but was declined by the Air Force after taking interest in the new Marshall-Lewis P-99 ''Spitfire II. USAF officials then commissioned the Wildcat II in efforts to intercept Sith TIE/I bombers. Variants Testing and Development *X-35D Lightning II - The original test variant before becoming the YF-71, this design was around the size of a F-35A. Five test products were produced, none of which ever flew. *YF-71 - The second test variant, this design increased the size of the fighter to that of an F-22A Raptor, and featured thicker titanium armor. Four test articles were made, and was a two-seater. *RTD-71 - Four "D" variants modified by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division to test possible design options for the F-80 Starfighter II prior to the construction of the YF-80 prototype. Standard Production *F/A-71A - The first combat variant features most of the designs from the YF-71, except becoming a single-seat fighter. It has about .2mm less armor than the test variant. *F/A-71B - A STOVL variant for the Marines, this variant is the same size as the "A" variant, but with photon-powered thrusters underneath the fuselage for vertical takeoff as well as landing. *F/A-71C - The variant designed for the Air Force after seeing its capability, the "C" variant serves as a CTOL fighter, but is only capable of flying within the atmosphere by request of the U.S. Air Force when proposed. *F/A-71D - The latest variant of the production line, this fighter was designed to be a replacement of the "A" variant in service with the Navy, equipped with reverse engineered Sith technology. But the "D" variant never entered U.S. service, as it was "cancelled" around the time the Portmore Peace Summit began. The fighter began service with the Resistance Forces of America on May 16, 2016. It has .2mm more armor than past variants. *F/A-71E - Tailed delta winged space-capable variant of the "D" model for the Air Force to compliment the atmosphere-restricted "C" variant. Operators Category:Aircraft Category:Military Equiptment Category:Aerospace Fighter